Pocket structure for washable work clothes



Jan. 22, 1957 s. ROSENTHAL POCKET STRUCTURE FOR WASHABLE WORK CLOTHESFiled Jah. 26 1955 SAMUEL I N V EN TOR. ROSA-N THAL P/CHE'Y, WA 775,065)? ENJ/LWENA/V A TTOR/VEYS United StatS P31 2,778,026 7 POCKETSTRUCTURE FoR WASHABLE WORK CLOTHES Samuel Rosenthal, Cleveland, OhioApplication January 26, 1955, Serial No. 484,149.

3 Claims. (Cl. 2- -247) I I This invention relates to improvements inwashable work clothes such as coveralls, jackets, work pants and similargarments, the object of the invention residing in the provision of apocket structure which is stitched to restrain inversion thereof, andprevent. fwadding of the material during washing operations." a

The primary advantages of the improvements reside in the time and eflortsaved in a laundry in readjusting the pockets that have'turned insideout in the washing machine and smoothing out the wadded material priorthe pressing operation. Statistically, there are hundreds of thousandsof pairs of cotton pants processed each week in commercial laundries andmany thousands more in domestic activities. Time studies show that A ofthe pants had an average of two pockets turned inside out after washingoperations, and that the time consumed in pushing the pockets back intonormal position is approximately to 12 seconds per pair of trousers. Ina commercial industrial plant engaged exclusively in laundry servicingof factory work clothes where approximately 10,000 pairs of pants areprocessed in a single day, it has been found that about 21 man hours or2 to 3 employees may be eliminated by the use of the improved pocketstructure of the present invention. The consequent economy inuresdirectly to the many thousands of factory employees whose work clothingis daily laundered by commercial industrial laundries, to say nothing ofthe advantages enjoyed by domestic washing and ironing of garmentsembodying the improved pocket design.

In addition to the foregoing objects, the invention further contemplatesa structure in which the pockets constitute a reinforcing element forthe contiguous portion of the garment and also minimizes wear of thepockets and the fabric adjacent thereto.

Other objects of the invention and advantages more or less ancillary tothe foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects arerealized, will appear in the following description, which considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferredembodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a pairof trousers embodying the improved pocket structure;

Fig. 2 is an elevation as viewed from the inside of the pants shown onan enlarged scale and illustrating the structure of the front and hippockets and a fragmentary portion of the pants;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the garment the sectionbeing taken on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Referring first to Fig. l, the garment comprises a pair of work pantsincluding leg portions 10, hip and waist portions 11, of conventionalform, and side and hip pockets 12 and 13 stitched in the usual manneraround the pocket opening 14 in the garment. The pants are tailored withseam over-laps 15 and 15a of a requisite width to overlie the outeredges 16 of the side pockets 12 of the pants and the seam over-laps 15are stitched along the 2,778,026 Patented Jan. 22,

The garment is also provided with hip pockets 13 tailored with the inneredges 17 thereof, in proximity with over-laps 15a of the pantsand tabsor straps 18 are sewed to the free edges of the seam over-laps 15a andto the lower ends of the hip pockets 13 in order to restrain movement ofthe hip pocket material during the washing operation. As in the formercase, this structure eliminates the arduous labor of smoothing out thepocketsand/or turning them inside out prior the pressing operation ofthegarment.

When the pants are provided with a watch pocket 19 I the fabric in onefold thereof is sewed or tacked to the contiguous layer of the materialof the side pocket 12.

In laundry work, it has been found that the watch pocket 19 turnedinside out in the washing machine more frequently than the otherpockets; in fact this condition is so prevalent that some machine shopsusing the rentallaundry service have requested the pants manufacturersto omit the watch pockets from the garment in order to economize in thelabor of readjustment.

As pointed out above, the advantages of the anchored pockets (both sideand hip) inure to the benefit of the laundry where substantial economicsare realized in labor costs by the elimination of the pulling, turning,and flattening manipulation of the pocket material before pressing. A'further advantage of the pocket structure resides in the outerappearance of the garment and condition of the pockets after pressing.No matter how careful the pressing operator may be, the pockets, whenmade as formerly, with loose free ends, frequently became folded downover themselves during pressing which, when ironed in this condition,produced a closed pocket and a lumpy appearance on the outer face of thegarment.

In machine pressing, it is the practice to-draw the open waist band ofthe pants over a padded plate or buck, simultaneously centering the sideseam of the pants thereon. Since the side pockets are secured to theside seams throughout their length and the lower ends of the hip pocketsare also attached to the side seams, it is axiomatic that the fabric ofthe pockets will follow the direction of pull of the entering side seam,thus effecting the selfadjustment of the captive pockets upon thepressing buck incident the descent of the heated pressing shoe of themachine.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailedcharacter, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, itis to be understood that the'specific terminology is not intended to berestrictive or confining, and that various rearrangements of parts andmodifications of detail may be resorted to' without departing from thescope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A pair of washable working pants including a waistband and legportions, a side seam in each leg portion, free over-lapping edges insaid side seams, a rectangular side pocket in each leg portion, thelength of each side pocket being approximately double the width thereof,each of said side pockets having a hand opening in the upper portionthereof between said waistband and its contiguous side scam, the lengthof said opening being no greater than one-half the length of the pocket,the top of each pocket being sewed to said waistband and the near v r p3 edge of each p'oket 'being sewed throughout its length to the'adfaceht aver-rapped edge of 'it's contiguous side -siiaih, whereby thepocket is restrained from turning inside-out and protrnding through saidhand opening during the washirig operation Tot the pants, and thematerial of jthfeipvocket is 'srhddthedand flattened wheh the side seain6f thep'aiits is drawn ove'rithe bucklof ,apressiiig iiiacliine.

2. Asian or washahle working pane including waistbahdai d le'gjiortions,side -s'eiuins in'lsa'id leg portions, 'free over-lapping edges in saidside seains, 'r'ect'angiilar side p'oc 'ts in said pants, the length ofsaid side pockets being apprbxiinat'ely double thewidthfthereof, each orsaid 'side pockets having 'a hand iipening in 'the'ilppe'r portiiinthereof between said waistband and its contiguous side seem, the Ie'ngth ersaid oiiening being no greaterjt'ha'n one-half the length of theprinter, the Qtbp of each poeket -beiii'g sewed to :said waistband sunthe rear 'side edge of ee'h' p'oeke't .b'e'ihg 'sewed'th'r'on hbiit itsleiigth to the adjatien't ever-lapped edge 'of its cbrifigiions sideseam, whereby the free lower corner or the poiz'ke't is "restraineaa-omtarqin'g iiiside-oiit and protruding through said hand openingdiirin'gthfe'washing'operation er the pants.

3. A'pai'r of washable wdrking'pa'nts ihclndiiig awa'is't' band and legportions, a side seam in each leg portioin 'fre over-lapping edges insaid side seam, 'retangular side pockets 'ih 's'a'id paints, the lengthof said side pockets being approximately double the width thereof, eachof said side rockets having a nasal 'epernngin the upper portion thereofbetween said waistband and its contiguous side seam, the length of saidopening being no greater than one-half the length of the pocket, the topof each pocket being sewed to said waistband and the near side edge ofeachpocket being sewed throughout its length to the adjacent over-lappededge of its contiguous side seam, a hip-"seeker 'in =e'a'dh neg parties,sate hip z oeket 'being of a length at least 'twiee the Width thereof,the upper end thereof being sewed to said waistband, each of said hippockets saving a hand opening in the upper portion thereof er a width nbigrea'ter than one hal-f the length of the hip .pocket, a strap havingone end thereof sewed to the lower ifornei' er e'aiili hip "pocketnearest its respective side seam, and having the other end of said strapsewed to the adjacent over-lapping edge of said side seam.

References (liked in'ithefile of this patent :Geissiiiann Aug. 7, '1956

